Joseph "Joe" Carl Maerschalk

Joseph (Joe) Carl Maerschalk, 88, of The Villages, Florida, formerly of Marion, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 8, 2026, surrounded by his family. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at St. Joseph's Church in Marion. The family will greet friends an hour prior to the services at the church. A Family Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Key West, Iowa. Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Marion is assisting the family.

Joe was born on March 26, 1937, in Moline, Illinois, the son of Carl and Rachel (VanHooreweghe) Maerschalk. He was a 1945 graduate of Wahlert Catholic High School in Dubuque and went on to earn his master's degree specializing in heat transfer from the University of Iowa.

He worked at Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 1962 until his retirement in 1993. Joe was especially proud of the Apollo Program and being named Engineer of the Year for work done on the ARC 182 Vapor Phase Soldering method. Joe’s later years at Rockwell Collins were spent as mid-level management. Joe will be greatly missed by all who knew, worked with, and loved him.

On August 27, 1960, Joe was united in marriage to Mary Ann Koester. Joe raised his growing family in Marion, until all his children were grown and out of the house. After retirement, Joe discovered “The Villages” in Florida. Just like the Beverly hillbillies, “the villages were the place to be” and offered everything Joe could ask for, over 800 holes of golf, endless entertainment venues, and an almost endless amount of golf cart trails to get around on. Joe felt like he was in heaven.

Joe is survived and lovingly remembered by his close friend of many years, Pat Parker; three sons, Craig (Sally Seath) Maerschalk of Cedar Rapids, Mark Maerschalk of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jeff (Sanya) Maerschalk of Denver, Colorado; daughter, Susan (Brian) Arnold of West Des Moines, Iowa; four grandchildren, Sarah Corbett, Landon Maerschalk, and Jacob and Jadyn Arnold; and great-grandchildren, Alivia and Brendan Corbett, and their father, Dan Corbett.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Mary Ann, in 2020.